


Never again

by OddEverAfter



Category: Backstrom (TV)
Genre: Chinese Food, Heart Attacks, Prompt Fic, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-11
Updated: 2015-06-11
Packaged: 2018-04-04 00:08:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4119522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OddEverAfter/pseuds/OddEverAfter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt Fic... Backstrom should really think about his health a little more and Valentine gets a shock.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never again

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt Request-  
> Everett has a stroke or heart attack from his drinking and smoking while him and Val are doing something. Eating, watching TV or whatever. And Val starts freaking out. Happy ending!

“You shouldn’t do that.” Val glared at his brother across the table. The man was eating what was left of four day old Chinese food. Val wanted to just throw it away but Backstrom insisted they just add some spice to it and I’d be fine. Val sneered and pushed his portion over. He wasn’t about to get food poisoning.

“What are you talking about?” Backstrom spoke around a half-eaten spoon full of fried rice. “I told you, it’s fine.”

Val cringed. The off white rice was almost bright red with all of the hot sauce that coated it. If Backstrom wanted to die from heart burn, that was his business.

“You should try it. It’s better _now_ than it was when we bought it.” He spooned another glob into his mouth. Val could even smell it from the other side of the table and gagged.

“You know how unhealthy that is? Shouldn’t you be eating something like a salad?”

 “Yeah, thanks mom. Didn’t hear you complaining about it a few days ago”

Val shook his head and sighed. “That was before you tried to turn fried rice into a volcano.”

Backstrom smirked across from him. He grabbed the almost empty bottle of hot sauce and held it over the Chinese container. “Bet you twenty bucks to empty this thing and eat the rest.”

Val glared while he stood up from the table feeling nauseous. “If you’re just trying to pass that shit off on me, I’m not doing it. You made it, you eat it.”

He could hear Backstrom laugh as he entered the kitchen to put his plate into the sink. “Thirty.” The older man added.

Val smiled despite himself. “How bout fifty and you do the dishes?” Val ran water over his plate before settling himself against the counter, his brother’s back to him. Good, he didn’t have to watch him destroy his stomach. He heard Backstrom cough hard after another spoonful.

“What, finally getting too much for you?” Val mocked him. Backstrom coughed hard.

“Don’t choke yourself.” Val moved up to hit Backstrom on the back. “Stop eating this shit, I’ll fix you something else.”

Val leaned over beside him. Backstrom’s face was pale and he was sweating. “Are you really choking?”

Backstrom grabbed at his chest and coughed again. “No.” He wheezed out and Val bent beside him.

“What the hell then?” Val didn’t know if he should hit the man on his back just to make sure. He didn’t like this. “Stop fooling around.”

Backstrom turned away from him and tried to move out of his chair, his other hand hitting the table.

“Backstrom?” Val was getting scared now. Backstrom didn’t look like he was playing around. “What do I do?”

Val almost fell over the chair when Backstrom grabbed at him. His hand was like a vice and he was shaking. “What’s going on? What do I do!?”

Valentine tried to grab Backstrom before he hit the floor but the man was a too big for his smaller frame to keep him up. When Backstrom hit the floor on his side Val went with him. “Hospital.” The man gasped.

_Oh God_. Backstrom really _was_ having a heart attack. Val fumbled for his phone in his pocket and pushed the emergency button while his hands shook. He was _not_ prepared for this. Backstrom talked about his two episodes he’d had before, but Valentine never experienced it himself.

“911 state your emergency.” Val looked at his brother still holding his chest and gasping for air.

“I need an ambulance. My brother’s having a heart attack!”

 

* * *

 

Sitting in the hospital felt like time was standing still.

Val tried to talk to Backstrom while they waited for the ambulance to get to the dock. Rambling on about how he would never buy the man Chinese food _ever_ again, or that hot sauce really was created by the devil. When the paramedics moved in Valentine stood against the wall like a child. He couldn’t answer any of Backstrom’s medical history questions, any drug allergies, or even how to get ahold of Dr. Deb. _What a great brother he was turning out to be._

“Family of Backstrom?” Val’s head shot up and he scrabbled over to the female doctor standing beside the emergency room doors. He stood their awkwardly and couldn’t keep his hands still.

“I’m- I’m his brother. Is he…” He didn’t even want to say the words out loud. Val didn’t even think about calling any of the SCU and about now… he really needed someone a bit more stable to be asking questions. _Fuck_.

“Walk with me.” He noticed the small smile grace the woman’s lips and felt a little hopeful. She led him through the halls of the emergency room. “Your brother _did_ have a heart attack.”

Val could feel himself sweat. _Yeah, no shit_. “Lucky for him he didn’t go into cardiac arrest. We pulled up his medical records and contacted his primary physician. We did an angiogram and found he’s suffering from coronary artery spasms.” Val looked at her confused.

“I don’t- know what that means.” _Arteries were important, right? That wasn’t good right?_

“It’s where the arteries tighten and restrict blood flow. We’re assessing what medications to put him on to help treat the condition, but he’s stable and alert. He’s still in pain though.”

Val sighed in relief when they stopped in front of a cloth divider. “So it wasn’t the hot sauce?”

The doctor gave him a look. “Spicy food can cause a number of reactions in the body. If you ingest enough it _can_ of course cause chest pain. Most of the time, a normal amount spread out over time can actually help your heart. But unhealthy eating habits _are_ harmful.”

Val felt a bit to blame for that. He knew Backstrom wasn’t eating healthy even after what Deb told him. He wasn’t enabling his brother… but he wasn’t stopping his bad habits either.

“We need to keep him over night and once his physician decides what actions to take, we’ll go from there. You can see him now. Just don’t get his heart rate up, alight?” Val nodded and the doctor left him alone.

When he pulled the cloth back Backstrom was already looking at him and glaring. “Doctors don’t know shit.”

Val snorted and moved to stand beside his brother’s bed. Backstrom was clad in a light blue hospital gown and sat awkwardly under a thin white sheet. It would be funny if it wasn’t for the man almost dying a few hours ago.

The two stayed quite for a while, letting the awkwardness of the situation sink in. Val felt himself sway a little on his feet and glanced at the bed. Ever since he moved in with Backstrom the man was like a rock. Invulnerable and just as thick headed. Like _this_ … Valentine saw how weak his brother could really be… and he could see how much that bothered him. Backstrom didn’t show weakness. Not even to Valentine.

“I’m not buying you Chinese anymore.” Val quipped. Their eyes meet and Backstrom grinned.

“You should have taken the twenty bucks.” Val felt some of the tension in the room release as rolled his eyes.

“Fifty… and you’re still doing the dishes when we get home.” Valentine smiled slightly. Backstrom barked out a laugh. Of course he wasn’t going to make his brother clean the dishes after what just happened… but it was nice to goad him  a little. Not too much though. _Gotta keep that heart rate down... for now._

 

_____


End file.
